Sacrifice
by OrganizedChaos666
Summary: Goes along with the theory that Loki was being partially controlled by Thanos during the Avengers. Anna is a partial mortal who was gifted with telekineses, telepathy, and the ability to teleport. When Loki is captured by the Avengers, she notices that something is different about him and decides to find a way to help, no matter the cost. With little concern for her own life, Anna
1. Chapter 1

"Anna, it is too dangerous. He is a criminal!" Steve protested.

"He is also my friend. It is my life to bargain Cap," I retorted.

"Anastasia, I'm afraid Steve is right. My brother-"

I interrupted Thor immediately.

"Exactly! Your brother. He is your brother yet you cannot tell that he is not himself? His eyes are no longer the color they were before and his personality has changed completely. You cannot tell me that there is no resemblance between his eyes and those of Eric Selvig,"

The room fell silent, which was shocking seeing as Tony was present. Natasha and Bruce looked at me disapprovingly while Fury seemed slightly intrigued as he watched the camera feed of Loki's cell. The deafening silence was interrupted by the director himself.

"You were close to Loki in the past?" he questioned.

A hard lump formed in my throat as an inundation of memories came flooding into my mind. Fury groaned in pain and I stopped the flow of thought from reaching his mind. I was gifted with telepathy and telekinesis by the gods of another world long ago. My powers allowed me to enter the minds of others and see their memories, bend them to my will, and share memories as well as thoughts. My emotion had allowed some of the memories to slip through the cracks of my mind and begin to flow into those around me. Unfortunately, my telepathic powers were painful to the receiver unless it was expected and they opened their minds for me.

"I am sorry," I muttered, looking down at the floor.

He simply nodded his head in response.

"So, how do you expect to be able to find out whether or not he is being controlled?" Fury asked.

"I break down his mental barriers. If there is a presence that is not his own, then he is being controlled, or at least forced into doing the bidding of another."

"Well I for one, hope that there is no big bad alien controlling a god. The god himself is already enough trouble as it is," Tony quipped.

"You are not going down there," Steve stated finally.

"Oh really?" I smiled, looking at him devilishly.

Tony gulped dramatically and Steve took a step back.

"I recommend you keep an eye on the camera, Director," I huffed, pulling the knife from the sheath on my hip and teleporting into Loki's cage.

The plan was simple. Or, so it had been before I impulsively entered a confined area with a dangerous god. Loki's green eyes snapped up to meet mine and his mouth began to open, but he was only able to let out a choked sound before his pupils dilated and his eyes were pale blue.

"Loki," I murmured, standing calmly as the god approached.

He glared harshly, his eyes cutting through me like knives.

"Not Loki.." I reminded myself, using telekinesis to lock and hold the doors to the room shut.

No one was going to stop me from helping him. I would not watch him become the monster he so despised. When Loki was only a step away, I extended the knife towards him.

"If you wish me dead, so be it," I sighed, handing him the knife.

He greedily snatched it from my hands and was behind me, knife to my throat in an instant. I forced myself to remain calm and relaxed, showing no signs of retaliation.

"-But, I know this isn't you Loki."

I felt him go rigid behind me and the knife was removed from my neck with shaky hands.

"Ana-" he choked out, shoving me away.

I stumbled and hit the ground, forcing the air out of my lungs from my ungraceful act. Without standing, I turned to face the god I had met so long ago. His eyes were flickering between green and blue and for the first time since Asgard, I saw the man who was simply mischievous, not evil. He was the man who took me on romantic rides through Asgard's forests and would help me prank those foolish enough to anger me.

"Loki. I can help you fight it," I whispered.

"Please.. Get out," he hissed, throwing the knife to the opposite side of the cage.

I shook my head and held a hand out to him pleadingly. Despite his previous protest, Loki's hand met mine almost instantly.

"I'm sorry," he said, his breathing labored.

"It's ok. I am going to help you," I reassured.

Then, I reached out to meet his mind with my own. As I did so, his eyes returned to a pale, sickly color and his hand tightened around mine. Forcefully, I fought my way through his formidable mental barriers, rendering both of us unable to move as we focused on our mental war.

As I forced myself into his mind, Loki let out a guttural scream and fell to the ground in agony. Finally, I reached the last barrier with tears streaming down my cheeks. I was the one causing my friend, and the object of my affection, such immense pain.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, entering his mind fully and sorting through it as gently but quickly as I could.

Loki was not the only resident in his own mind, and the other was not as kind as I was. A dark, malicious force had wrapped itself around Loki's already tainted conscience. Fearing that I would not have much time, I frantically went through his recent memories. The only one I was able to see before being forced out of his mind, was of him trying to back out of some kind of deal with a large, dark figure atop a throne.

"You will do as I command," the figure ordered.

The voice was painfully familiar.

As past-Loki began to protest, I felt pain rip through his body as the figure clapped his hands. Loki had been so keen on gaining a throne, that he managed to get himself caught up in a deal with Thanos himself. True terror coursed throughout my mind, allowing the malicious presence to send my consciousness packing.

"Loki what have you done?" I asked, now having returned to my own body.

"I was supposed to be dead," he choked, releasing my hand as his now-green eyes began to water.

"You made a deal with Thanos. Of all people to get involved with, you chose that purple freak!" I shouted angrily, picking up my knife.

Loki merely inspected his shoes, unable to meet my fiery gaze. Letting out a sigh, I returned my blade to its sheath and embraced the god before me.

"I will help you Loki," I decided as his arms wrapped around me.

"Why would you aid a monster?" he asked shakily, tremors running down his spine as I held him gently.

"I wouldn't. But you know I would do anything for you."

With that, I grabbed his chin softly and tilted his head so that his eyes met my own. A small smile crept onto my face as I placed a gentle kiss on his pale lips. His arms tightened around me before he relaxed and returned the kiss with a small smirk. I pulled away to see that he had a huge, smug smile plastered on his face.

"There's my Loki," I grinned.

His eyes began to flicker once more, so I planted a light kiss on his cheek before teleporting back to the meeting room where I was sure to be lectured by Steve.

"As I said, he's being controlled," I stated, leaning against the table.

The Avengers looked at me with wide eyes, and of course Tony was the first to speak.

"Who knew that Loki the psychopath would be able to have a crush!"

"He was always quite fond of Anna," Thor mused.

"Who is it?" Fury interrupted.

"More gods?" Bruce questioned.

"I wish. This is much worse. He seeks to control everything, not just Earth. We are merely a small part of his plan. Loki made a deal with a man named Thanos, but when he tried to back out, Thanos forced him into submission. I can barely fight against Loki's mind, let alone his. I may be able to give Loki control, but as you saw, it would not last long. We must find a way to force that big purple brute out and break his hold."

"What happens then? Still not hearing a way to kill the purple alien," Tony said snarkily.

"I have no idea. Perhaps his daughters could help if we could find them."


	2. Chapter 2

"Loki, no!"

The words erupted from my lips in a near roar as the body of Phil Coulson hit the cold hard floor of the helicarrier. Only a day after our previous conversation, the trickster had escaped his cage and now hovered his hand over the button that would send his previous cell down to crash into the earth, with Thor inside.

"Sorry darling," Loki grinned maliciously before slamming the button as I raced towards him, both of my hands equipped with daggers.

"Phil," I choked, stopping right before the god and his threatening scepter to glance down at the man who's blood was rapidly repainting the floor.

I looked hopelessly at the God of Mischief and the scepter which glared tauntingly in the low lights of the room.

"Monster," I spat in rage, glancing back at my dying comrade.

The god's gaze darkened at the word, but a maniacal gin quickly spread across his pale face and his eyes darkened. The change made my heart sink further as I stood beneath the analytical gaze of the god before me. After taking a deep breath, I dropped my hands to my side and stalked up to Loki until the end of the weapon barely pierced my skin. A drop of blood trickled down my chest and Loki tilted his head curiously before leaping back only for me to grab the scepter, holding him in place. For a moment, I reached out to his mind with my own, however; I was greeted only with the presence of Thanos and an overwhelming feeling of toxic power.

"It's obvious neither of us are leaving until one of our breathing comes to a permanent end," I explained, backing away with a shrug.

I searched Loki's blue eyes for any signs of remorse or understanding, but found nothing other than malevolence. With a groan, I readied myself as the god looked on observantly.

"I did always beat you during training," I joked halfheartedly, wishing I had armed myself with my scimitars rather than the small daggers that were currently in my grasp.

"You rivaled even Thor," he mused with a smirk.

"Back when he was more of an oaf, he's grown smarter. Unfortunately you haven't," I said tiredly, stepping sideways as Phil raised his weapon weakly towards us and fired it.

I watched wistfully as Loki flew backwards into a wall, crashing through it. After giving a sympathetic wince in the god's direction, I knelt beside Phil.

"I'm so sorry. I should have come sooner," I said quietly, taking his bloody hand in my own.

"Don't be. That boyfriend of yours sure has some bite," he groaned, his eyelids drooping.

I shook my head at his joke and attempted to inspect the wound but the blood made it impossible. I called for immediate medical attention but people were preoccupied with the Hulk who was now loose and angry on board.

"Give him a slap for me when this all blows over and you two are up in Asgard somewhere," he laughed, a sharp intake of breath making me groan hopelessly.

"Coulson," the voice of Nick Fury called out as the man himself approached us to kneel beside the fallen agent.

I watched in quiet agony as Phil took his final breath with the director kneeling beside him. With a shaky breath, I spoke into my radio.

"Agent Coulson is down," I choked, quickly turning it off when the message was complete.

As Fury continued to kneel beside the fallen body, I glanced in the direction of the hole Loki had so graciously made in the wall. To my dismay, he was gone. As I stood beside Nick Fury, I took in the damage my former friend had wrought upon the people of Earth. He had killed a political leader for his eye, terrified crowds of people, unleashed the Hulk on some of the SHIELD agents, sent Thor crashing who knows where, and killed one of my closest friends who was one of the most loyal agents SHIELD was capable of having.

Yet despite all of this, I could not hate him. The memories of his smile that had appeared frequently back on Asgard when we spent time in the library or pranked the guards together rolled through my mind like a bad after credits scene, or a eulogy. More so a eulogy of the man that he was. Unfortunately, I began to doubt the idea that the old Loki would ever return fully. Even if Thanos' presence was eradicated from his mind, Loki would have to live with the consequences his actions and those of the purple alien.

A hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality, making me snap my gaze from the hole to the owner of the appendage: Nick Fury. We gave each other a slow nod and his eye seemed to hold a kind of understanding as the gunshots finally came to an stop. When the ship finally stabilized, I strolled to the conference room with a facade of optimism knowing that the Avengers would be disheartened by the recent events as much as I had been. As Loki crossed my mind, my most prominent frustration was my inability to track down Gamora or Nebula: Thanos' daughters.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that day I found myself back in the place I had last seen Loki: the same room in which Coulson had drawn his final breath. Two of the Avengers soon joined me and despite my wishes for a quiet place to think, Steve and Tony quickly began to argue. As I stood, contemplating possible location of the trickster, the two men continued to be at each other's throats. Finally I was broken completely from my stream of thought by a stern statement from Stark.

"We are not soldiers."

The silence seemed to fall upon us like a heavy blanket and suddenly I had no wish for it.

"I'm not marching to Fury's fife," Tony added.

"He was building weapons, none of us are other than Tasha and Clint. But unfortunately we now have a god on our hands who just so happens to have an infinity stone so put the petty arguments aside for a moment because I doubt the world is ready for an alien invasion. Thanos has a formidable army that could easily wipe out our planet so let's focus on that, we can deal with SHIELD's ulterior motives later," I cut in, glaring at the two men.

"He made it personal," Stark noticed, glancing at the blood on the wall that had not yet been removed.

"That's not the point," Steve retorted.

"He's right. That is Loki's point. His strength comes from his mind, not any physical prowess. In case you have not noticed, he is a master manipulator," I stated.

"He wants to tear us apart," the blonde added.

"Yea, divide and conquer is great but he wants to win. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"So a big city," I said quietly as Tony paced, deep in thought.

"Right," Rogers noted, "I caught his act in Stuttgart.

"That's just previous. This is opening night, and Loki is a full tale diva."

Stark's statement made me let out a chuckle as I realized he had a point and remembered all of the times Loki had pulled random stunts for attention.

"He wants flowers, he wants a parade, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered-"

"Stark Tower," I interrupted, just as Tony's eyes flooded with realization.

"Son of a bitch," the man muttered, running off to most likely get his suit.

Steve and I exchanged a glance and nodded in unison before taking off in separate directions. I jogged up to my room and managed to strip down to only my undergarments before Loki appeared in front of me.

"Illusion," I noted, using the clothes in my arms to cover myself as best I could while the god stared down at me.

"Anastasia," he greeted, averting his eyes to the ground.

"So you have the manners to avert your eyes but no incentive to keep from killing my friend?" I spat, glaring daggers at the man before me.

"I didn't know you were close to him-"

"That doesn't mean you can just go around killing people Loki! What do you think you are doing? Even if you win, you will be gaining what you want at the cost of everything you really need."

"What?" he scoffed.

I shook my head disappointingly, unwilling to explain something so blatantly obvious.

"Loki you think that ruling this planet will make you better? Is your desire to rule so strong that you need something lower than you? You simply want others to be small so that you can feel big. Why did you come to me?" I asked, forcing my eyes to keep from watering as Loki's jaw tightened in anger.

Yet despite his anger, the god had no retort for my words and soon the anger drained from his face before being replaced by hopelessness.

"Join me?" he offered hopefully, holding out a hand towards me.

"You know I wish to join you in most everything Loki, but not this. Your destruction of this planet is something I hope not to live to see. When this is over, tell that damn grape to shove the infinity gauntlet up his ass," I said, adding a quiet joke to the end as I approached Loki's hologram slowly, clothes still covering most of my torso and my bra doing the rest.

Slowly, I reached my hand towards his face but waited a hairsbreadth away.

"You were always a king in my eyes Loki, I wish that had been enough for you. I hope that when this is over you remember who you are," I said quietly, resting my hand on the hologram's face which caused it to fade away.

When he was gone completely, I let out a shaky sigh and dropped my clothing to the floor before sliding into a skin tight black catsuit. Once it was on, I secured a few weapons of choice onto my belt: a pistol, two daggers Tony had made me which consisted of a type of laser/electric blade, and my scimitars. Once everything was situated, I threw my hair up into a messy ponytail and filled myself a cup of water. When it was finished, I fastened a radio onto ear and my legs brought me outside to the runways where I saw Cap, Tasha, and Clint in a Quinn Jet. Stark stood next to it with his suit on and gave me a nod as I headed inside.

"Anastasia," Clint greeted before closing the doors and taking us up into the air.

The city approached us rapidly from outside of the window, making me rub my hands together nervously. Outside, Stark was barely staying in the air as he sped directly towards his tower. I watched from my seat as Stark attempted to fire at the machine holding the tesseract and nearly laughed.

"We're too late for that. The tesseract will be untouchable unless we can convince Loki to shut it down which is highly unlikely," I informed as we landed in the street beside Stark tower, "so prepare for a fight with some extraterrestrials."

I leapt out first, scimitars drawn as a massive wormhole came into existence in the sky above us.

"Get out of here!" I boomed, making all nearby civilians run in the opposite direction before I returned my blades to my waist.

"Damnit Loki," I sighed, staring up as Stark fell from the tower and preparing to catch him only for his suit to do the job.

"Stark!" I shouted, causing him to snatch me from the ground as he flew by before flying us up with me clinging to his back like a monkey.

"There's another person you pissed off," Tony started as Loki stared directly at me with a look of surprise, "His name is Phil." 

With that, I leapt into the confines of Stark tower as Tony blasted the god to the ground.

"Army," I reminded as the man looked up to the sky.

"Right," he muttered before flying upwards.

A quiet groan from behind me caused me to turn, scimitars drawn in an instant.

"Loki, please," I sighed, glancing down at him as he stared back up at me with unnaturally blue eyes.

With a grunt, I forced myself into his mind momentarily where I found Thanos lying in wait.

'I'm going to make him kill you. He will rip you apart and I will give him control just as the light leaves your eyes so he can see what he has done,' a dark voice threatened, making me stab at it blindly with my own consciousness.

'What do you want with Earth? You have the gauntlet and the rest of the stones are nowhere to be found. Why couldn't you just mind your own business or at least bring your grape ass down here yourself?' I retorted, landing a blow to the presence and sending it reeling which allowed Loki some control.

When I returned to my own consciousness, Loki's scepter was at my chest. The god's eyes quickly widened and he flung the weapon across the room, but his hand seemed to twitch at the absence of it.

"Anna," he gasped, as though he had just ran for miles on end.

"Loki you have to fight this. I can get him out of your mind but I need your help. Even if this is what you want, the ownership of this planet, I am guessing you would much rather have it to yourself than risk Thanos taking it," I replied, staring into his now normal eyes pleadingly.

I held my hand out towards him in a silent offer, watching carefully as he slowly raised his trembling hand to meet it. Tentatively, I prodded at his mind and was surprised when I was met with no resistance. Loki let out a relieved sigh, causing both of us to relax for a moment. Natasha's voice over the radio made me jump slightly and suddenly Loki's eyes were blue, allowing Thanos to strike.

"We need some help down here," Tasha called.

I was forced out of Loki's mind by the alien before being physically thrown out of the same window Stark had fallen through earlier.

"STARK!" I shouted frantically, hoping the crash would not render me unable to protect myself from the chitauri below.

Fortunately a fall from this height would only incapacitate me, but the aliens below most certainly could do worse.


	4. Chapter 4

Fortunately, I was snatched out of the air by Thor himself before my body could make contact with the concrete. When my feet touched the ground, Thor patted my shoulder gently and flew to the top of the tower as I unsheathed my scimitars. With a cry of anguish, I charged at the nearest chitauri and thrust one scimitar neatly through his head.

When the body fell, Steve came into view in the distance. After giving Stark tower a forlorn glance, I turned back to the fight and began gracefully slicing through the bodies of aliens in order to reach the others. When I finally reached my destination, Banner had arrived and Stark warned us of an incoming giant alien mother which would most likely just plow through all of us.

"I'm bringing the party to you," he warned.

"Thanks Stark, but I really do not wish to attend your party," I shouted into the radio.

As the giant beast turned the corner, the blood drained from my face and I no longer heard the others discussing any plan.

"Oh my god," I murmured, my arms dropping like led to my side as I realized that I was the closes to the incoming monster.

Banner stepped in front of me and began to transform into the Hulk when suddenly I was snatched into the air by a chitauri ship. When I regained my senses, I realized that Loki had been the one to pull me away from the beast. Although, Banner took out the alien quite quickly and I was suddenly aware that perhaps I was in more danger now than I had been before.

"Loki, please let me down," I asked quietly, wrapping my arms around his waist as he took a sharp turn and landed upon a nearby building.

When we were settled I took a tentative step from the ship onto the roof of the building, never taking my eyes off of the tense god before me.

"Loki look what you are doing," I pleaded, gesturing to the city below us which was quite literally up in flames.

"I can't stop it-" he choked, his gaze rising to meet my own before he too looked upon the damage he had brought upon New York.

"This is not entirely your fault Loki, I can help you. Find me if you choose to allow me to do so, because together we can stop this," I said hopefully, striding over to plant a gently kiss on his cheek while also gently taking his hand into my own.

He stared at me helplessly but gave my hand a tight squeeze before releasing me and allowing me to leap off of the building to save a group of citizens who had been cornered by chitauri. I managed to clear the street and free the civilians but when I looked back up, the god was gone. With a sigh, I returned to the base of Stark tower. Once there, hordes of the aliens came upon me. In every one I was only able to see the face of the purple monster who had taken over the mind of my closest friend, and with that thought in mind I wiped out waves of the chitauri until the heap of bodies around me nearly held me prisoner.

"Thanos! I know you can hear me, keep your grimy hands off of this planet!" I screeched, twirling around in a dangerous spiral as yet another alien cautiously approached only to end up as another body upon the pile.

When the street was finally clear, a familiar voice rang out clearly. I glanced up to see Loki, his eyes now a sickly blue and his face sheet white.

"You called?" he teased before beckoning me over while flying up Stark tower on a ship.

With a grunt, I teleported to the top of the tower where Loki was once again waiting for me, his eyes still evident of the fact that he no longer inhabited his own mind.

"Fight it Loki," I whispered quietly, my strength a bit lessened after teleporting.

"Your pleads fall upon deaf ears. This insolent creature is loyal only to me. I assure you that even if you and your friends win this fight, there will be no place your precious Loki can hide where I will not find him. He will be punished, then I will come to Earth myself," he warned, but his words were only those of Thanos.

"Loki," I pleaded for a final time as I saw the Hulk approaching from behind the oblivious god who held his scepter towards me threateningly.

A malevolent grin crossed Loki's face and I sighed before taking a step back which Hulk took as a signal to let out a deafening roar. I watched forlornly as he was slammed into the ground like a rag doll and after a few moments, I walked up to the Hulk with my arms out in front of me in a gesture for peace.

"Hulk, that's enough. Please go smash another alien for now. Thank you," I said carefully, gesturing outside where another of the giant space worm creatures was crashing through the streets.

The Hulk nodded and dropped the god before smashing through the window, leaving Loki in a crater his body had made in the floor. As the god groaned in pain, I slid the scepter away from him before kneeling beside him.

"Loki, I need you to help me end this. How do I deactivate the tesseract?" I pleaded as Tony warned us of an incoming missile.

"Loki please," I begged, a tear escaping my eye to run down my cheek as the god stared back up at me as though in a daze.

"I've got a nuke coming in. It's gonna blow in less than a minute," Stark called out.

"I know just where to put it," he added, making me jump slightly.

"Tony that's a one way trip," I warned, my voice shaking as I still attempted to wake a groaning Loki from his daze.

"The scepter," Loki coughed, bringing my attention back to him as he attempted to get up.

"Is that Reindeer Games?" Stark questioned.

I quickly surveyed the god's mind in an attempt to check for Thanos but was greeted with only a slight presence which Loki and I were able to quickly eradicate. Apparently, Hulk had done the job of weakening Thanos' hold on the god enough for us to finish it.

"Yes Stark. I think he can close this damn portal."

"Help me?" Loki asked cautiously as I stood.

After glancing over his beaten form, I carefully helped the god to his feet and held the scepter in hand. Once I ensured that Loki was able to hold some of his own weight, I teleported us to the very top of the building where Selvig and Natasha were waiting beside the tesseract. Unfortunately, the use of my powers rendered me exhausted and I was barely able to take a step without collapsing.

"Careful," Loki scolded, barely able to keep his own balance let alone hold me up as we swayed together under the confused gaze of the two humans.

"He can close it," I informed, finding the strength to shuffle forward while still bearing some of Loki's weight.

"Damn you're heavy," I complained, just as Stark disappeared into the portal.

Loki took the scepter from my hands but still supported me when I tripped once again.

"Don't impale yourself. This will close it but I assume you wish to wait for the tin man to return," he noted, looking up with the rest of us as a large explosion could be seen on the other end of the gateway.

"Close it," Steve said finally.

"Loki-" I started, but the god had heard the radio order and sent the scepter through the machine with ease.

The god quickly released the weapon and backed away, considering Natasha for a moment as he was fully hit with the severity of his actions.

"Odin will have my head," he muttered.

"You did nearly destroy the city, but I will not let him kill you for this. It was not entirely your fault, however; you never should have made a deal with that grape in the first place," I said comfortingly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it before my gaze shot up to the sky when I heard Steve's voice once again.

"Son of a bitch."

Stark had made it back through the portal, but was falling to Earth at a terrifying speed.

"Thor?" I questioned, hoping that the god would be able to stop Tony's fall.

Before he could do anything, the Hulk leapt into the air and caught the billionaire. I held my breath as he landed and began heading down to where the rest of the Avengers waited. Natasha and Selvig walked ahead while Loki and I slowly made our way down the stairs.

"Thank you," Loki said quietly, catching my arm before we could follow Black Widow and the doctor out of the building.

"You're welcome. I only wish I had been able to help you sooner," I sighed before gently pressing my lips against his, knowing that soon we would both be back on Asgard but he would be in a cell.

The god responded immediately, his hands finding their way to my waist and his lips moving fervently against my own. The kiss was full of desperation and was soon deepened when Loki ran his tongue over my bottom lip questioningly. Without hesitation, I gave in and allowed his tongue to gently graze the inside of my mouth as I ran my fingers through his hair. This only continued for a few minutes before I pulled away, a look of guilt on my face as I stared into the eyes of the man who had recently been trying to take over the planet.

"Come on," I sighed, taking his hand into my own reassuringly before tugging him along behind me.

His grip on my hand tightened immediately when we left the building and stood before the Avengers who all held their weapons towards Loki threateningly, other than Stark who remained on the ground in his suit and stared up at us. Quietly, I stepped in front of the god to gain their attention.

"I assume Thor would have Loki taken back to Asgard. He is of no threat to you anymore, Banner managed to hit him hard enough to weaken Thanos' control so that we could destroy it. Either way he will pay for his crimes, but not here. The tesseract must return as well," I announced, staring upon the weary faces of my friends.

"How do we know you aren't lying?" Clint questioned, his bow still raised.

"Loki closed the portal," Natasha responded monotonously, causing the man to lower his weapon grudgingly.

With one fluid movement, I turned and cuffed Loki's hands together with shackles that would limit his ability to use his powers. The action made him roll his eyes in displeasure.

"We both know you would have tried to escape," I responded before gently nudging him towards his brother.

The sight of Thor made Loki's eyes darken, but he gave no verbal complaint as the god of thunder looked down at him disapprovingly. It was only an hour later when the three of us bid farewell to the Avengers and returned to Asgard where Loki would be given his sentence. I could only hope that the Allfather would believe me.


End file.
